Turn A Car Essential Into A Yard Feature Birds Will Love

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Repurposing household furnishings into birdbaths is old hat. You can, for example, turn an old lamp into a stunning garden feature for birds. What's to say you can't rummage through your garage for unique vehicle-related items to repurpose, too? Drain pans, like the ones you use when changing the oil in your car, just so happen to make excellent birdbath basins. A little bit of time and a few simple tools and supplies are all you need to transform this car essential into a tiny oasis for backyard birds. You simply connect two flower pots by their bases, glue a drain pan on top, and spray paint everything. Then fill the pan with stones and water. By the end of this DIY, you won't even recognize the original oil pan.

Grab the supplies you'll need before starting this project. If you do a lot of car maintenance at home, you might have an old oil pan lying around already. However, it'll need extensive cleaning, so it's better to buy one new. Dollar Tree stocks Driver's Choice Automotive Oil Drain Pans for just $1.50. While you're there, pick up two Speckled Texture Plastic Planters as well. You want to get the best materials for a durable birdbath that will last. Plastic withstands a decent amount of wear, tear, and wild weather. Any other oil pan and planters will work just as well, making this project easily customizable. You will also need some eco-friendly, outdoor paint, like BELTECO Spray Paint in Basil Smash Green, and a weather-resistant adhesive.

Turn one of the planters upside down so you can see the drainage holes. Add a generous amount of glue to the bottom. Place the base of the other planter on top of the adhesive, carefully lining up the two planters before pressing them firmly together. If the planters don't stick well, you can apply some dots of fast-drying hot glue first. To add the oil pan, run a line of adhesive around the rim of one of the planters. Sit the base of the oil pan evenly on top of the rim and press down. Set the birdbath aside. Outdoor glues — like Flex Glue Rubberized Waterproof Adhesive, for example — can take 12 to 24 hours to cure. Once the glue has set, spray the birdbath with several layers of paint. While you can leave it unpainted, a little color creates a charming yard feature.

Customizing this birdbath is easy. For example, your oil pan birdbath does not need to sit on a pedestal made from two planters. If you prefer a birdbath that sits closer to the ground, rest the drain pan on a platform of bricks or flat rocks. This way, it will double as a source of water for wildlife other than birds. You could also drill holes near the rim of the oil pan, thread a chain through the holes, and hang the bath from a tree. No matter which method you choose, add some stones — small or large — to the pan for grip and fill it with up to two inches of water. Follow these smart tips to keep your birdbath beautiful: place it in the shade, clean it regularly, add a penny to reduce algae, and change the water daily.